For many of us, we see our online lives and offline lives as different, but children are growing up with technology and the internet and for them there isn’t a difference; online life and offline life is just life.

Technology can move at an extraordinarily fast pace and it can be difficult to know how to start talking to your child about what they’re doing online, who they might be speaking to or discussing the potential risks and issues

Starting the conversation

Talking regularly with your child is the greatest tool to help keep them safe online. Talking regularly and making it part of daily conversation, like you would about their day at school, will help your child feel relaxed. It also means when they do have any worries, they’re more likely to come and speak to you.

But it can also be easy to become overwhelmed with the different technology, the language that children use, the huge number of games and apps which are available and the potential risks.

Here are some websites which offer advice and support with safe online learning and social media:

• Internet matters - for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
• London Grid for Learning - for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
• Net-aware - for support for parents and carers from the NSPCC
• Parent info - for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
• Thinkuknow - for advice from the National Crime Agency to stay safe online
• UK Safer Internet Centre - advice for parents and carers
• London Grid for Learning has support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online, including tips to keep primary aged children safe online
• Net-aware has support for parents and carers from the NSPCC and O2, including a guide to social networks, apps and games
• Let’s Talk About It has advice for parents and carers to keep children safe from online radicalisation
• UK Safer Internet Centre has tips, advice, guides and other resources to help keep children safe online, including parental controls offered by home internet providers and safety tools on social networks and other online services
• CEOP - for advice on making a report about online abuse

We encourage you to set age-appropriate parental controls on digital devices and use internet filters to block malicious websites.  These are usually free, but often need to be turned on.  Please read this poster from LGFL which provides some top tips for parents on internet safety.

We would also like to signpost you to some websites, which offer age appropriate practical support:

 Childline, Thinkuknow and NSPCC - for support

• UK Safer Internet Centre - to report and remove harmful online content
• CEOP - for advice on making a report about online abuse

Harmful or upsetting content

If you or your child receives harmful or upsetting content you can get support by:

• reporting harmful online content to the UK Safer Internet Centre
• getting government advice and trusted resources from Educate Against Hate on safeguarding from radicalisation, building resilience to extremism, and promoting shared values

Bullying or abuse online

You can:

• get advice on reporting online abuse from the National Crime Agency’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection command
• get advice and support from Anti-Bullying Alliance for children who are being bullied